Hepatitis A Warning for Westchester County, New York

Customers at the Monteverde at Oldstone restaurant in Cortlandt Manor, New York may have been exposed to hepatitis A. If you ate food or drank beverages there between May 24 and June 10, 2017, you may have been exposed because an employee has been diagnosed with the illness.

If you ate there before June 6, 2017, you are no longer eligible for a vaccine to prevent the illness and should monitor yourself for the symptoms of the disease. If you ate there after June 6, 2017, you can receive a hepatitis A or immune globulin shot. Call the Westchester County Health Department for information about getting a vaccination. About 130 people have been treated by officials in White Plains.

The symptoms of hepatitis A include abdominal pain, lethargy, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, and yellowing of the eyes and skin, which is called jaundice. Symptoms may develop two weeks to two months after exposure to the pathogenic virus. Patients may be ill for months.

About 350 people ate at the restaurant between May 24 and June 10, 2017. A wedding dinner was held at the restaurant. Guests for that wedding came from eleven states, including Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, Washington D.C., Texas, New Jersey, Virginia, Connecticut, and Illinois. The Health Department is letting officials in those states know about this problem.

Hepatitis A is a disease that affects the liver. It is transmitted through person to person contact, and through contaminated food and drink. Most people recover without medical treatment, but some, especially those with liver disease, can become seriously ill and even die.

The best way to prevent the spread of this illness is to stay home if you are exhibiting symptoms, and to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after going to the bathroom, before preparing and serving food, and after changing diapers. Unfortunately, the most contagious period is before symptoms begin. That is why most health departments recommend that anyone who works with the public get vaccinated against the illness. If you work in the health care industry, in food service, or in schools or daycare centers, think about getting vaccinated. Most children and teens are vaccinated, since many schools require this shot before they start attending school.